In honor of JT's birthday

To my knowledge, I was the first journalist to review John Taylor's autobiography. I contacted his publisher, received the book in the mail weeks before its release date, and read it in a day and a half. It wasn't long after that that I was inspired to write and post my review as the Duran Duran correspondent for a news website. In honor of JT's birthday, here is that review:

Duran Duran's John Taylor recounts the story of one of pop music's most extraordinary bands while sharing his compelling personal journey in his new autobiography, "In the Pleasure Groove: Love, Death, and Duran Duran."

Taylor, Duran's bassist, famously co-founded the band with keyboardist Nick Rhodes, and that back story set in Birmingham, England, is one of the most engaging parts of Taylor's book.

Taylor hailed from a working-class family in Birmingham's Hollywood, while there was something more magical about Rhodes, whose mum owned a toy shop nearby. The musically like-minded individuals also shared the common bond of both being only children.

Taylor and Rhodes started out as glam-rock fanboys, their shared love of Bowie and Roxy Music inspiring them to become brothers in musical arms. The two would create the Duran concept before any of the other players came on board.

Taylor and Rhodes were happy to remain left of the spotlight, Taylor writes. Soon, Roger Taylor would join on drums, followed by guitarist Andy Taylor, and finally, singer Simon Le Bon would bring the poetry.

Together, the band would ride a new wave into the 1980s, writing and recording some of the biggest hits of that decade and beyond.

Along the way, John Taylor shares his run-ins with various celebrities who crossed Duran's path, including a hilarious exchange with Sting.

Augmenting Taylor's memories from those whirlwind early days are his own diary, postcards he sent to his parents and fan club dispatches. Throughout the book, Taylor's voice truly shines through.

Duran always has been a "divine diplomacy," but Taylor shares few details of the inner workings and inevitable disagreements that come when band members gather to write and record — and share credit equally for the ensuing material.

But on a personal level, Taylor writes more freely. As Duran grew increasing successful so, too, did Taylor become more reliant on drink and drugs. It all nearly spun out of control. But he eventually found his way to rehab, and here he shares stories of recovery, loss and learning to love.

"Pleasure Groove" is, by design, an unfinished story. Four out of five original members continue to make viable new music and perform live as Duran Duran.

As for Taylor, the reader comes away with the sense that he is in the best place he's ever been.

Instead of the trivial tiny seductions, it's all about the music now.

Originally posted September 14, 2012. Photo by Christopher Windle.

A birthday look back at Nick Rhodes' side projects

A happy 55th birthday to Nick Rhodes!

Nick Rhodes is notorious for staying busy on breaks from Duran Duran. The British band's co-founder and keyboardist fills his downtime with producer gigs and side projects, including Arcadia, TV Mania, and the Devils.

The long-shelved TV Mania saw the light of day in 2013. TV Mania became prolific on Twitter, posting several tweets per day, including such nuggets as: "Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards."

Fans speculated whether Rhodes, who doesn't have a known Twitter or Facebook account, was tweeting for TV Mania.

Said @TVManiaMusic: "Ssh. There is more than one TV Mania."

Before TV Mania, Rhodes' biggest project outside Duran Duran undoubtedly was Arcadia, the platinum-selling group he formed with Duran vocalist Simon Le Bon and drummer Roger Taylor. Arcadia's only album, "So Red the Rose" (1985), boasted such guest musicians as Sting, David Gilmour, and Grace Jones.

As far back as 1983, Rhodes was working as a producer. He co-produced Kajagoogoo's hit "Too Shy" and had discovered the band as well.

Almost two decades later, he joined forces with the Dandy Warhols, producing most of the Portland, Oregon, band's album "Welcome to the Monkey House" (2003) and helping bulk up the alt-rock group's synthesizer arsenal.

Also during the time that Rhodes and the rest of the Fab Five were regrouping for reunion album "Astronaut," the keyboardist teamed up with original Duran singer Stephen Duffy for side project the Devils. The album "Dark Circles" featured re-recordings of original Duran songs as well as hauntingly beautiful tracks looking back on earlier days, like "Newhaven-Dieppe."

TV Mania was the brainchild of Rhodes and former Duran guitarist Warren Cuccurullo. Its album, "Bored with Prozac and The Internet?" looked decidedly toward the future, or at least a view of the future as envisioned in the mid-1990s: a culture obsessed with reality television and the Internet.

More recently, Rhodes produced the Bloom Twins and has been in the studio of late with bassist John Taylor and a host of performers working on the TSP (Top Secret Project), rumored to be the Duran musical. Stay tuned.

Adapted from original post from February 2013

40 years of "Rio": Duran Duran's classic album dances on

In 1982, Duran Duran unleashed sophomore effort "Rio" on the world, leaving an indelible mark on pop culture.

At the time of the album's original release that May, it was an infectious shot of optimism needed in the band's native Britain during a recession and the Falklands War.

As keyboardist Nick Rhodes said on the "Classic Albums 'Rio'" DVD, the album was a "bright, colorful outburst."

As celebrated as the album was at the time, selling millions and yielding four singles, "Rio" has indeed become a timeless classic.

Producer Colin Thurston harnessed the band's talents: Rhodes' experimental synths, John Taylor's syncopated bass, Simon Le Bon's lush harmonies, Andy Taylor's edgy guitars, and Roger Taylor's ambient drums.

But Duran Duran was sound and vision, with Duran video director Russell Mulcahy's iconic travelogues changing the game for the fledgling art of the music video. The "Indiana Jones" pastiche "Hungry Like The Wolf" and the on-a-yacht adventure "Rio" introduced exotic locales such as Sri Lanka and Antigua to the young viewers of the even younger MTV.

From its glossy cover to the final note of "The Chauffeur," "Rio" proved that Duran Duran was the entire package.

The Nagel girl on the cover pulls the potential fan in with her inviting "cherry ice cream smile," and the title track hooks the listener instantly. "My Own Way," "Hungry Like The Wolf," and "Hold Back the Rain" keep up the feeling of Carnival.

Darker moments are interspersed: the sweetly melancholy "Lonely In Your Nightmare" and ego-and-alter ego dialogue "New Religion." Sure, Duran was fun, but deep, as well.

And the final third of the album is just as strong: the effervescent "Last Chance on the Stairway," the anthemic "Save a Prayer," and the pure Le Bon poetry of "The Chauffeur."

During the recording of "Rio," Le Bon has recounted, it became a ritual for him to copy into his blue book of lyrics the final lyric of each song as it was recorded.

"We were doing something new; something different to that which had gone before," Le Bon said. "Together we were about to tell an amazing story. We were poised to become one of our generation's most exciting bands."

"Rio" would be remixed for U.S. audiences, "Night Version"-ed and remastered. But that original album captured a moment in time when everything Duran Duran touched turned to gold.

(Originally written April 30, 2012)

The Damned in Denver

It has been more than 40 years since the Damned burst onto the British punk scene with the first single, album, and U.S. tour. The heart and soul of the band are still touring in top form and visited the Summit Music Hall in Denver on April 19.

The heart and soul, of course, are goth god singer Dave Vanian and the lovable goofball Captain Sensible on guitar. Vanian's voice is even stronger now than on that pioneering punk album, "Damned Damned Damned." The band released the album "Music for Pleasure" before songwriter Brian James exited and Captain moved from bass to guitar. The Damned then came back with its masterpiece, "Machine Gun Etiquette." The band performed eight songs off that album, including opener "Melody Lee," singalong classic "Noise Noise Noise," and "Smash It Up."

All photos by Christopher Windle.

The band managed to touch on nearly every era of its career, from that first punk single, "New Rose," to "Alone Again Or," a cover of a Love song that was a hit for the band in the late '80s. Along the way, there were highlights "Ignite" off "Strawberries" and "Wait for the Blackout" off "The Black Album" (another first: the Damned were the earliest band to have a Black Album). In all, the band played 23 songs, several more than many bands years younger manage to play.

But 40 years on, the Damned is not the typical band just rolling through the hits. Vanian and Captain have said in interviews that they still feel hungry. After the tour, the plan is to record another album. But for a band with only 10 albums over a 40-year career, it's clear the Damned don't just record albums to go through the motions. There has to be a purpose to it.

Vanian, his arm in a sling after he dislocated a shoulder on a previous tour date, not only sounded great but had all the stage moves. He spun around and dropped to his knees for "Eloise," the Barry James cover that was a No. 1 British single for the band.

Captain was nonstop with the stage banter, offering his opinions on Phil Collins, the Beatles, and the Sex Pistols, all to be taken with a grain of salt. He played guitar solos behind his head and balanced his guitar on his head. He's a ham, sort of a dual frontman of the Damned, and even took lead vocals for "The Last Time," a Rolling Stones cover, and "Jet Boy Jet Girl." He refused to play his '80s solo hit "Happy Talk," but happily obliged the crowd with a request for "Fan Club" after he proclaimed in the second encore that the band were running out of songs to play.

It's a natural move for the sort of fan liaison, who will take photos with fans before the show and invite them all to the pub across the street afterward. Apparently, he only draws the line at playing "Happy Talk," though the pub did play most of the album "Women and Captains First."

Monty Oxymoron provided the keyboards, and the dancing, during "New Rose."

Damned fans are a mix of young and old, fans of punk and goth. One could tell from the fan reactions to certain songs just why they were there. While the punks turned out for "New Rose" and "Neat Neat Neat," there were also strong reactions for goth-era songs like "Street of Dreams."

By the time the band closed the show with a blistering version of "Anti-Pope," it was clear the Damned had left the entire crowd satisfied.

The Faint at the Slowdown

Omaha's The Faint came home for a holiday once again as the band played the Slowdown for the first of two shows celebrating the new year.

The Faint last appeared before a hometown audience on Halloween. On Dec. 30, the band played a slightly altered set list of its "Capsule" best-of concert.

The Faint took the stage past 11 p.m. after two opening acts. The first two performers were among The Faint's best openers yet: Closeness, The Faint vocalist Todd Fink's new side project, and the entertaining Plack Blague, billed as America's Leather Band from Lincoln, Nebraska.

The crowd was already in the mood to party when The Faint took the stage. All the highlights that fans were expecting were there in the remixed show. The band opened in dramatic fashion with "The Conductor" and gained steam as the set list of new-new wave went on.

All photos by Christopher Windle.

The crowd cheered for the old songs as well as the new, some dancing with abandon for recent single "Young & Realistic," one of the band's best efforts yet. The audience reaction was only appropriate for a band that displays so much energy on stage themselves.

For the encore, there was a new year's surprise, which the band decided to play as a practice run for the next night's New Year's Eve show and dance party. The band launched into Prince's "1999," the music matching nearly note for note with the original, though Fink dropped part of a verse. The crowd went bonkers for the celebratory tribute to the '80s icon.

But the excitement only built after that, as the band ended the show with "Let the Poison Spill From Your Throat," "Paranoiattack," and "Glass Danse." It was a great way to close out the year for the band who has been on tour promoting an album featuring its best songs from its 20-year career.

Duran Duran's top moments of 2016

Photo by Chris Windle

U.S. tour

Duran Duran performed a string of shows as a full band in the spring, but as summer rolled on, Duran announced that Nick Rhodes would be leaving the U.S. tour due to a family emergency. I had tickets for the shows in St. Paul and Kansas City, and it was strange seeing the band live for the first time without Nick ... ever.

Though Nick was missed, MNDR ably stepped into his formidable shoes. The band shined in Minnesota and sweltered through the show in Missouri. The tributes were a highlight in a well-worn set list. Duran added a bit of "Little Red Corvette" to "Save a Prayer" and "Space Oddity" to "Planet Earth," honoring two musical icons lost during 2016.

Duran takes a stand

During the spring, the members of Duran found themselves in the center of a political firestorm as they were set to play a show in Charlotte, North Carolina. The state had just passed legislation against gay and transgender rights. Among its provisions, the law would force transgender people to use public restrooms of their biological sex.

At a time when acts were canceling concerts in the state, Duran elected to perform the show and ended up winning praise from media outlets like Pitchfork for the move. Duran began its encore in front of an American flag on the screen above, then it changed to a rainbow flag. The band members signed a petition against the state's legislation on stage, then played "Save a Prayer," a song once dedicated live to the victims of the Paris terror attacks. But now, it was a rallying cry against discrimination.

Award season

Duran added another honor to its arsenal in 2016: the ASCAP UK Golden Note Award. While being lauded by some for its songwriting, Duran continues to be overlooked by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Still, there may be a glimmer of hope, as the hall is adding other bands that were once passed over at a brisk pace. Also in 2016, Depeche Mode, a band often mentioned in the same breath as Duran when it comes to overlooked yet iconic '80s groups, garnered its first nomination.

"Sing Street"

The movie wasn't Duran's, but the impact it could have on the band's career into the future may be immeasurable. The film is set in the 1980s, and the young characters performed songs that were just a little bit inspired by Duran. It is easily one of the best films to feature prominent references to Duran. At one point, the main character's older brother says, "John Taylor is one of the most proficient bass players in the U.K. at the moment."

The movie is downright heartwarming. I hadn't heard the word "futurists" bandied about so many times since Nick was interviewed in the early '80s. And there's a YouTube video out there with clips of the film set to one of my favorite Duran songs, "Last Chance on the Stairway." It's the best video for that song that Duran never made. While the film caters to '80s nostalgists, there are bound to be younger viewers tuning in, and perhaps becoming the next generation of Duranies.

Step into the future

Duran will be back in a live capacity next year, with shows already announced. There also have been hints of a return to the studio. At a recent show, Nick was back, and hopefully the keyboard master will be on hand for the 2017 shows.

The Faint live at Sokol Auditorium

The Faint have been carrying the new wave torch since the late 1990s, a point the band hit home in its hometown with a thriller of a show on Halloween.

The set list touched on nearly every point of the band's career. From the now-vintage new wave of "Worked Up So Sexual" to two of its newest tracks, the futuristic "Skylab1979" and "Young & Realistic."

The two new songs are on The Faint's "Capsule" best-of collection. For fans of new wave bands like Duran Duran, The Faint are a must-listen. The Faint was regularly mentioned in the same breath as Duran when the band first rose to prominence along with other acts from Omaha's Saddle Creek Records.

There were some great bands to come out of that scene. Bright Eyes was the most talked about, and Cursive and Rilo Kiley were even better. But The Faint blew them all away. The Faint was the most innovative of the bunch with a synthesizer, and two of its members play keyboards during the live show.

Another reason for Duranies to have a listen: I once mentioned to members of The Faint that their band was almost as good live as Duran, and they said they took it as a compliment.

After getting an assist from post-punk legends Gang of Four, The Faint started its nonstop dance party. After adding in the Halloween atmosphere, the tour-closing Omaha show was especially rowdy. Many in the crowd, and the band, wore costumes. Guitarist Dapose was Angus Young, and keyboardist Graham Ulicny, below, was Jesus (or Keysus).

The Faint, like Duran, not only sounds great live, but puts on an energetic show. Singer Todd Fink, with his trademark hat, flailed his arms wildly, and Dapose got into some serious head-banging, with his mop of hair swirling about.

The set list built in intensity, from tender opener "Southern Belles in London Sing" (which a Nebraskan knows includes a reference to Omaha's Eppley Airfield) to more aggressive tracks like "Mental Radio" and "Evil Voices." Those two are off the band's last studio album, the superb "Doom Abuse." The band also played the OMD-sounding "Damage Control" from that album.

The Faint took heavily from "Danse Macabre," playing six songs off its best-known album. Highlights were "The Conductor" and "Agenda Suicide." But there were five off follow-up "Wet from Birth," including "Southern Belles," "Desperate Guys," and "I Disappear." And the band didn't forget "Fasciinatiion," playing "The Geeks Were Right."

The Faint brought things to a close with "Glass Danse" off "Danse Macabre," the four members gathering triumphantly at the front of the stage at show's end before an ever-appreciate hometown audience.

A fish-eye view of The Faint, at top, and a look at the light show, above. (All photos by Christopher Windle)